Article excerpt

President Bush yesterday called for the disarming of Hamas and Iran, both of which advocate the destruction of Israel, in a foreshadowing of tonight's State of the Union address.

"We will not support a Palestinian government made up of Hamas," Mr. Bush said, in reference to the militant group, after a Cabinet meeting in the White House. "We want to work with a government that is a partner in peace, not a government whose declared intentions might be the destruction of Israel.

"Secondly, this new democracy that's emerging in the Palestinian territories must understand that you can't have a political party that also has got an armed wing to it," he added. "And so, the second half of our message to Hamas is: Get rid of your arms, disavow terrorism."

Mr. Bush also had a message for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has alarmed the West by pushing ahead with plans to enrich uranium.

"The message is: Give up your nuclear weapons ambitions," Mr. Bush told reporters in the Cabinet Room. "Iran ... cannot be trusted with technology that could enable it to develop a nuclear weapon."

U.S. military intervention in Iran is considered unlikely, and Mr. Bush is hoping pro-democracy students and intellectuals will change the country from within.

"We want the people of Iran to be able to live in a free society," he said yesterday. "And so, tomorrow night, I am going to talk about this issue and make clear the policy of the United States."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Mr. Bush will devote a significant portion of tonight's speech to foreign policy.

Continuity and Change in American ForeignPolicy: Some Thoughts on the Imperialism of Free Trade: Througout the Clinton Years American ForeignPolicy-Makers Focused on the Dual Global Triumphs of the American Military and the Economy. What Are the Objectives of the Next Administration? (Perspective)Reed, James.
Behind the Headlines, Vol. 57, No. 4, Summer 2000